When Denver Post features and entertainment staffers aren’t busy reporting, writing and editing (as well as reading the many publications on their beats), they devour books. Here they recommend some of their favorites of the year for sharing and gift-giving at the holidays.

YOUTH/ALL AGES

“The Ice Dragon,” by George R.R. Martin (Tor)

At just under $15, this is a no-brainer gift for “Games of Thrones” fans. It’s a fable about a child who embraces winter and its creatures, including the ice dragon that visits her during the cold months.

When the girl’s country is threatened, the ice dragon comes to help at its own expense. Of course there’s death and bloodshed — this is a George R.R. Martin book — so even though it’s written as a middle-grade-level book, it’s not really appropriate for children under age 12. — Claire Martin

“Gifts from the Heart,” by Patricia Polaccio (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)

Here’s a picture book for all ages, a sweet Christmas tale about two children dismayed when they realize they have no money to buy gifts.

Their country-wise housekeeper, Kay Lamity, gently steers their thoughts in a new direction. Polaccio’s heart-tugging story is matched by illustrations of imperfect people. If only society realized that real people, wrinkles and prow-shaped bosom, are easier to embrace than angular, ageless models. Youths/all ages. — Claire Martin

“The Sittin’ Up,” by Sheila P. Moses (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)

This is an utterly charming story about the tradition of paying final respects to the recently deceased. Despite the grim subject, this book is full of humor as well as insight into the chasms dividing black and white communities.

With the Ferguson, Mo., and Staten Island deaths remaining in the headlines, “The Sittin’ Up” offers a starting point for desperately necessary conversations about race and society. Youths/ all ages. — Claire Martin

Maybe it was the influence of Elizabeth Gilbert, bringin’ botany back with “The Signature of All Things,” her sweeping novel of an 18th-century female plant nerd. Regardless, big garden books have returned, celebrating the intricacy and variety of the plant world and the process of discovering it.

“Flora Illustrata” is for lovers of not just plants, but the ways they entangle history, culture and art. It explores the most important works and objects in the New York Botanical Garden’s library, which stretch across eight centuries. Its 300 pages, packed with art, include three chapters on plants in America — the flora, the landscape history and one on “Mail, Markets and Media.” — Susan Clotfelter

“The New Sylva: A Discourse of Forest & Orchard Trees for the Twenty-First Century,” by Gabriel Hemery and Sarah Simblet (Bloomsbury, $90)

Britannia may no longer rule the waves, but it still rules botanical history, and its forests are steeped in millennia of myth and history. Silvologist — forest scientist — Hemery and illustrator Simblet collaborated on this doorstop-weight update of John Evelyn’s “Sylva,” the first comprehensive study of trees, which was published by the Royal Society in 1664. Magnificently drawn and designed, “Sylva” gives 44 tree varieties botanical and historical close-ups. It’s a tome for a time when trees are more threatened, and hopefully more valued, than ever. Just don’t drop it on your foot. — Susan Clotfelter

SPORTS

“Boy on Ice: The Life and Death of Derek Boogaard,” by John Branch (W.W. Norton & Company)

A compelling read from a Colorado native (and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist), “Boy on Ice” is not your typical sports biography. We already know how this story ends — Derek Boogaard, a feared NHL enforcer, died of an overdose at age 28 in 2011, his brain already showing signs of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy — but how John Branch gets us there is captivating. “Boy on Ice” is an intimate and ultimately tragic portrait of one young man, as well as the larger consequences of hockey’s love affair with fighting. — Emilie Rusch

Immigration may very well be the issue of 2015, and Cristina Henriquez has woven a page-turner of a novel about the people at its heart. “The Book of Unknown Americans” tells the tales of one run-down apartment building and its residents, immigrants from all over Latin America struggling to succeed and forge new lives in the U.S.

At its best, it’s also a teenage love story. Mayor moved to the U.S. as a young boy, his family leaving behind unrest in Panama. Maribel is a new arrival from Mexico, her parents seeking better opportunities after a devastating accident at home. Their relationship unfolds in a way that is both beautiful and sad. — Emilie Rusch

PHOTOGRAPHY

“The Good Life, Palm Springs,” by Nancy Baron (Kehrer, $50)

Photographer Nancy Baron takes a deep dive into the blue pools and skies of California’s legendary desert town. It’s a quirky place, and so are these color-saturated shots, a mix of straight-ahead portraits and abstract takes on the tiny details of life in the sun. What do you capture in the spirit of Palm Springs? Leopard wallpapers and vintage convertibles, golf courses, travel trailers and lots and lots of mid-century architecture. Baron nails it. — Ray Mark Rinaldi

“Intermarried,” by Yael Ben-Zion (Kehrer, $50)

What does it mean to be intermarried in 2014? Photographer Yael Ben-Zion let her subjects decide, asking couples in Manhattan who defined their own relationships as “mixed” to invite her into their homes. Turns out that covers race, religion, social class and an ever-expanding geography. One couple is half Ethiopian, half Nepali. Ben-Zion’s photos skip the obvious, documenting the evidence that truly defines the mix: Books, photos, kids, art, knick-knacks. Each shot enriched by a quote from its subjects. A great take on 21st0century American life. — Ray Mark Rinaldi

SCI-FI

“The Peripheral,” by William Gibson (Putnam Adult)

Long before the Internet had been widely adopted, let alone a daily necessity, William Gibson coined the term “cyberspace” in his debut novel, “Neuromancer.” Since then he’s become somewhat of a literary prophet, the Nostradamus of science fiction (in fact, he has a better “batting average” than Nostradamus).

After abandoning sci-fi in the 2000s, Gibson has returned to his cyberpunk roots in his latest novel, “The Peripheral.” Set in two intertwined futures, the novel follows the characters Flynne Fisher and Wilf Netherton, who are disconnected by time, but brought together through servers, nonlinear fate and a mysterious murder plot. It will be a few decades until we know if Gibson’s vision of the future is accurate, but within the vivid worlds of 3D printing, ubiquitous nanotechnology and wearable tech, “The Peripheral” is already laying the groundwork for what’s to come. — Matt Miller

FILM

“What I Love About Movies,” by Editors David Jenkins and Adam Woodword (Opus), $36.95.

At the end of interviews, writers for the British movie mag “Little White Lies” ask their quarry what they like most about the movies. This compendium represents years of answers from the likes of Quentin Tarantino, Helen Mirren, the Coen Brother and, er, Mila Kunis to name a few of the 50 filmmakers and actors. The book’s editors promise they didn’t gussy up responses. And, indeed, answers can be sublime or ridiculous, eloquent or tongue-tied. “Huh. Haha. Well, um…OK, yeah,” begins Tarantino. Illustrated with boldly imagined portraits of the interviewees by a variety of artists, the book is as easy on the eye as it is a swift pleasure to read. — Lisa Kennedy

A book about the director of “Ten Commandments,” “Cleopatra” and “The Greatest Show on Earth” should be epic. And this volume — rife with gorgeous photos of DeMille and his stars, movie sets and vivid costumes — could buckle a lesser coffee table. But there’s more to the volume than that. With an intro by Martin Scorsese, “DeMille” charts Hollywood’s course through the history of its most successful producer-director. And the timing couldn’t be better to look back at DeMille’s sagas: His legendary Moses dwarves Ridley Scott’s current patriarchal pretender. — Lisa Kennedy

“As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride,” by Cary Elwes and Joe Layden (Touchstone)

For fans of the sleeper classic film “The Princess Bride,” “As You Wish” reads like fan nonfiction about the making of the film from its leading man, Cary Elwes, who played Westley, the Man in Black. Through Elwes’ gushing tales of filming the movie — meeting co-star Robin Wright, who plays Buttercup, for the first time and experiencing a crush-at-first-sight, being unable to stifle laughter during his “mostly dead” scene with Billy Crystal — readers of “As You Wish” will not need to “get used to disappointment.” Rather, they’ll find themselves falling in love all over again. — Jenn Fields

SCIENCE

“Infinite Worlds: The People and Places of Space Exploration,” by photographer Michael Soluri (with foreword by astronaut John Glenn( (Simon & Schuster, $40)

What sets out as a book documenting STS-125/SM4 — Space Shuttle Atlantis’ historic mission to save the Hubble Space Telescope — results in an unparalleled love letter to the Space Shuttle era of NASA. Photographer Michael Soluri was given unprecedented access to not only the astronauts, but also the engineers and technicians and hundreds of other extraordinary humans behind the scenes of this mission. His intimate images capture the bravery, the humanity, the hopes, dreams, trials and tribulations of all those involved. This marvelous body of work and the book’s poignant essays serve to humanize the sometimes-inaccessible, unreachable and unrelatable world of space flight. And, of course, looking at photos of space stuff is always just really, really cool. (Bonus: Soluri will be at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science at Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. to discuss his work. More at dmns.org; click on “Learn,” “Adults” and then “After Hours.” — Laura Keeney

STYLE

“Cartier in the 20th Century,” by Margaret Young-Sanchez (Denver Art Museum in association with The Vendome Press, $60 or $75 for deluxe edition)

Some of the Cartier pieces on display at the Denver Art Museum’s “Brilliant: Cartier in the 20th Century” are so opulent that you’ll want to revisit them. This look at the French fine-jewelry company’s creations and the people who bought and wore them offers the backstory to such pieces as Grace Kelly’s engagement ring with its 10.4-carat emerald-cut diamond and Elizabeth Taylor’s diamond and ruby necklace. It’s also an interesting and informative read for those not fortunate enough to visit Denver and the museum during the exhibition’s run through March 15.

The Metropolitan Museum’s costume exhibitions are legendary, as are the sumptuous spreads in Vogue magazine that detail the style influences on display. Covering the first 13 exhibits of the 21st century curated by Harold Koda and Andrew Bolton, this book recaps such groundbreaking shows as “Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy from 2008” and “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty in 2011.” Also included are photos from the star-studded galas that accompany the exhibit openings. — Suzanne S. Brown

“Tory Burch in Color,” by Tory Burch (Abrams, $50)

Starting with her favorite shade of vibrant orange and working her way around the color wheel to include 10 other favorites, this popular American designer shares the sources of her inspiration, from art and architecture to interiors and decorative techniques. A family thread runs through everything she does. Whether naming her first pair of ballet flats for her mother, Reva, (and still selling the style after eight years) or traveling around the world with her three sons, Burch manages to make it all look appealing as well as accessible. She also believes in empowering female entrepreneurs. All gross proceeds from the sale of the book will benefit the Tory Burch Foundation. — Suzanne S. Brown